MUMBAI: 3 August 2016. The day the GST Bill was approved by the upper house of the Indian parliament will be a special day for Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd chairman Dr Subhash Chandra. That is the day when the media industry pioneer took his oath as member of the Rajya Sabha, his first steps into politics.

For Chandra, it has been a long journey to the corridors of power. While he has – with the help of his younger brothers, Jawahar, Laxmi and Ashok and the next generation of the family – built up an empire (encompassing media and entertainment, manufacturing, precious metals, infrastructure, real estate) which does billions of dollars of annual revenue, he says the time has come for him to give back to India.

Of course, he and his organisations are involved in several spiritual and charitable causes, like the Buddhist Pagoda outside Mumbai, but he would now like to make a difference through governance, by entering the government.

Speaking to reporters outside parliament yesterday he said: “I have done a great deal of business in my life – from the young age of 17 years until 65 years. I thought the time has come to give back to the society and as an MP, I can perhaps help lakhs of people by raising important issues and coaxing different parties to come together as I have good relations with all.”

He is quite optimistic about the government’s initiatives in recent times and going forward. While applauding the passage of the GST bill, he however, had a note of caution, saying that it would not be a panacea for all the ills facing the economy and businesses. He expressed confidence in the Narendra Modi government’s ability to push through other tax reforms which would give business a further push, that would only further help Indian citizens courtesy the trickle down effect.

He stated that he would be first working towards bettering the state of Haryana. "I will be inviting all 90 MLAs for dinner soon and request them to tell me whatever they have in mind for Haryana’s benefit," he said. “My hallmark has been to raise issues that are often neglected by others. I'll keep at it

Media observers are hoping that the midas touch that has helped him turn almost everything he touches into success, will serve him well as he begins his journey into politics.